Wordsmith Talk |
About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us | |||
You are not logged in. [Log In] Wordsmith.org Forums Q&A about words intelligence vs intellect Register Forums Calendar Active Threads Search Forum Help
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4
#128437 - 05/10/04 12:36 PM intelligence vs intellect
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4 reebecca![]()
stranger![]()
stranger
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4 What is the difference between the two?
#128438 - 05/10/04 12:54 PM Re: intelligence vs intellect
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 wsieber![]()
old hand![]()
old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
Switzerland At the risk of getting lost at sea in metaphor, I suggest: intellect is the motor, and intelligence is the power delivered by this motor (for better or worse).
#128439 - 05/10/04 01:42 PM Re: intelligence vs intellect
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4 reebecca![]()
stranger![]()
stranger
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4 Thank You for your reply. It seems to make sense. Where my struggle began from was the usage of the adjectives, i.e. what would be the distinction between say an intelligent person and an intellectual person. How, if at all, does the motor methaphor transfer to that situation?
An intellectual person has the ability(motor) and intelligent person actually uses it(delivering the power)?
(please excuse the overuse of parentheses and question marks)
#128440 - 05/10/04 02:18 PM Re: intelligence vs intellect
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 jheem![]()
veteran![]()
veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
California To me, intellectual has a slightly more pejorative connotation to it than intelligent. Interestingly, the etymologies show that both words come from the same verb in Latin: intellect is from the past particple and intelligence is from the present particple. You might want to look at the synonym section of this entry:
http://www.bartleby.com/61/84/I0178400.html
#128441 - 05/10/04 02:43 PM Re: intelligence vs intellect
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 AnnaStrophic![]()
Carpal Tunnel![]()
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
lower upstate New York Welcome, Reebecca.
"Intellect" suggests to me a type of intelligence. You can be intelligent without being intellectual, but not vice-versa.
#128442 - 05/10/04 04:23 PM Re: intelligence vs intellect
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624 Capfka![]()
Pooh-Bah![]()
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Utter Placebo, Planet Reebok Oh, I dunno, ASp. I've met a lot of intellectuals who didn't seem to be all that intelligent ... an intellectual will think and think about a problem but may well still come to a nonsensical although potentially strictly logical answer.
Welcome, Reebecca. Good question.
#128443 - 05/10/04 08:11 PM Re: intelligence vs intellect
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661 musick![]()
Carpal Tunnel![]()
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Chicago ...nonsensical althought potentially strictly logical answer.
Just as a *sensical answer may be potentially strictly illogical!
*******
I like wsieber's perspective. Neither function on thier own plane without the operation of the other. What one does with either is not (really) part of the difference between them.
#128444 - 05/11/04 12:06 AM Re: intelligence vs intellect
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 Faldage![]()
Carpal Tunnel![]()
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 both words come from the same verb in Latin
Speaking of double-dipping.
#128445 - 05/11/04 05:07 AM Re: intelligence vs intellect
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 wsieber![]()
old hand![]()
old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
Switzerland intellectual has a slightly more pejorative connotation to it than intelligent - Yeahbut, this is a secondary evolution of the word "intellectual", quite separate from "intellect". I even suspect that "intellectual", as a noun, entered English independently from French, whereupon it was devalued by the pragmatists.
#128446 - 05/11/04 06:51 AM Re: intelligence vs intellect
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4 reebecca![]()
stranger![]()
stranger
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4 Thanks for all your replies.
I did try to work from the roots of the word: intelligence coming from the present participle of inter- and legere perhaps denoting the present action of collecting/perceiving 'knowledge', while intellect, from the past participle of the same Latin term, perhaps referring more to the processing of that knowledge that follows its collection/perception... all in all it lead me into a big mental knot and, ultimately, to this board.
I would however have to disagree with jheem-based on gut feeling, I definitely would not name intellectual as the pejorative of the two.
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4
Moderated by Jackie
Forum Statistics Forums16Topics13,881Posts224,663Members9,048 Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members Sammy87, Bentron2000, Santanu, DavidOrigami, RichEngle
9048 Registered Users
Who's Online Now 0 registered members (), 75 guests, and 2 spiders. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days) A C Bowden 26LukeJavan8 10SantaFeR 1
Top Posters(All Time) wwh 13,858Faldage 13,803Jackie 11,613tsuwm 10,538LukeJavan8 9,120wofahulicodoc 7,884Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210AnnaStrophic 6,511Wordwind 6,296of troy 5,400
Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Wordsmith.org · Top